Celebrating ‘School Daze’
Times of India Student Edition | 30th March 2012

Aditya Birla World Academy (ABWA) recently organized its 3rd annual concert for the primary students based on the theme ‘School Daze’ at the St. Andrew’s auditorium. The programme celebrated innocence, learning and most importantly, life – something every grown up forget to enjoy.

The students put up a play based on the concept of role reversal, where the audience , comprising parents, were put in the shoes of the students, while the students on stage donned the role of the seniors. This unusual turn of events created a chemistry where the audience and the students shared and created some magical moments throughout the evening. The act kick started by acknowledging parents as little kids and the students on stage as mentors, or teachers, trying to help the little ones (the audience) get an admission into ABWA. At times witty and at times concerned, the students on stage decided it was time they became the adults and took charge. The performance took the audience from classrooms to boardrooms with the students enlightening their parents along the way.

The play explored the five most vital stages of a student’s life, class I to V. From making friends, discovering new ideas to singing and dancing freely, and finally taking a firm stand on global issues, the children showed everyone what it takes to be the next generation heroes. All of this was conveyed through the tunes of ABBA ‘I have a dream’, ‘Voulez vous’, ‘Dancing queen’ among others. This play that received a lot of appreciation was scripted and directed by Sahil Jaffrey and combined with impressive choreography by Tanushree Dhaundiyal, Rahul D’lima and Akriti from TR Dance Company. Speaking on the occasion, vice chair-person Neeraj Birla said, “The concert truly was a reflection of the ethos of our school. Everything was perfect and could not have been better. In keeping with our mission, it’s heartening to see that the teachers are being able to bring out the very best in them.” ABWA principal Radhika Sinha said, “The ‘School Daze’ was a reflection of the fun, the excitement and the enthusiasm that pervades the action packed life at ABWA. It indeed left us all in a ‘daze’! The talents of our children were brilliantly showcased.”